Department for Transport

Driving: Diabetes

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel is considering the use of Mean Absolute Relative Difference (MARD) as an accuracy measure for blood glucose monitoring devices as part of the review of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency guidelines on driving and diabetes.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Diabetes, is reviewing its guidance to provide advice for medical professionals and drivers on the use of interstitial glucose monitoring systems in the context of driving. The DVLA is currently considering views of stakeholders, some of whom have suggested using a Mean Absolute Relative Difference accuracy measure for interstitial glucose monitoring.

Transport: Infrastructure

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport on cross border transport infrastructure.

Joseph Johnson: The UK Government fully recognises the social and economic importance of improving connectivity across all parts of the UK. Where there are areas of cross-border interest, my ministerial colleagues and I remain keen to collaborate with our Scottish counterparts and the Department is currently contributing to discussions on the emerging transport proposals in the proposed Borderlands Growth Deal as well as ongoing work in relation to HS2 and the strategic road network.

First Transpennine Express

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 June 2018, Official Report, column 69, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of Trans-Pennine Express on accessibility for disabled passengers on trains since that date.

Joseph Johnson: TransPennine Express (TPE) will not now introduce any Mark 3 trains into passenger service. The first of TPE’s brand new Nova trains are on track to enter service from autumn 2018.

Railways: North of England

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 5 July 2018, Official Report, column 491, when the improvement works to the Manchester to Leeds railway line will commence.

Joseph Johnson: The government is investing nearly £3bn in this upgrade between 2019 and 2024, one third of our expected investment in rail enhancements in that period. It will be a rolling programme of enhancements including both major civil engineering and electrification. And we are working with Network Rail and Transport for the North to determine the best way to achieve major improvements for passengers. We will make further decisions later this year.

Community Transport

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of implementing the new community transport guidelines for charities and other community transport providers; and if his Department will alleviate those costs.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultations with charities and other providers of community transport his Department had prior to introducing new guidance on that matter.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the consultation document, Consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, published in February 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the new guidelines on community transport on the number of older people who will experience loneliness.

Jesse Norman: The Government consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain closed on 4 May 2018. The consultation focused on proposals to ensure domestic legislation and guidance are aligned with EU Regulation 1071/2009 on road transport operators. A number of workshops were also held during the consultation period. Charities and other transport providers submitted responses and participated in the workshops. An initial impact assessment looking at the impact on community transport providers, including charities, was published alongside the consultation. To help build a stronger evidence base in relation to the potential impacts of the proposals, the consultation requested information from those providing community transport services as to how they operate. In general, the Department believes that, with the exception of a small number of large operators who may in effect be genuinely competing on commercial terms with commercial bus operators, community transport operators should not be affected by future clarifications of law. The Department remains committed to supporting the community transport sector. To that end it has made available £250,000 to help community transport providers who find they are no longer able to operate under the section 19 and 22 permit system, to meet relevant EU requirements.

Manchester-Sheffield Railway Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the start of the Northern Hub related Hope Valley line improvement scheme.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail have completed the single option design for the railway infrastructure scheme proposed in the Hope Valley and are actively working on plans to progress the work. The current funding envelope for enhancements made provision for this scheme to be delivered in the period between 2019-2024. The timetable for further work on this scheme will be announced in due course.

Customs

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances the Government has received from the European Commission that even in a no deal situation goods and people can be flown within the EU after Article 50 expires on 29 March 2019 without any more barriers or checks than currently apply.

Chris Grayling: The Government’s recently published White Paper sets out proposals for an Air Transport Agreement which seeks to maintain reciprocal liberalised aviation access between and within the territory of the UK and the EU. It also sets out proposals for a free trade area for goods, as well as UK participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which would avoid the need for customs and regulatory checks at the UK’s borders with the EU. The continuation of flights to and from the EU is far and away the highest probability. However, we are also, as a matter of common sense, considering possible alternatives to a negotiated agreement. The CAA is making the appropriate contingency preparations to deliver a continuity of service in regulation. This includes a scenario in which it takes on the responsibilities of EASA.

Railways: Training

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of progress on the Rail Delivery Group’s plan to introduce a national train driver academy.

Joseph Johnson: The Board governing the National Driver Training Academy (NDTA) was established in April this year. The Rail Delivery Group is working with several train and freight operating companies to roll out training across the industry ; trials with operators are ongoing. The first operator is scheduled to begin using the training fully in November with a further eleven operators looking to trial or roll-out the new training. Furthermore, through the work of the National Train Driver Academy, the train driver apprenticeship has successfully attained level 3 standard and has been approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Work is also ongoing to utilise opportunities provided by the Academy to further improve diversity within the profession.

Railways: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the effect on train operating company (a) revenues and (b) premium payments to the Government of not implementing in full in December 2018 a new railway timetable or providing the planned level of service.

Joseph Johnson: It is not possible to accurately calculate the impact on revenue of not implementing the December timetable change due to uncertainty as to what level of revenue would have been achieved if the timetable changes had gone ahead as originally planned. With regard to the premium payments, no assessment has been made.

Railways: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the provisions of rail franchise agreements as a result of the decision not to introduce in full a new railway timetable in December 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The rail industry’s proposed approach to planned changes to the timetable in December this year, which was developed by Network Rail, and supported by train operating companies and the Office of Rail and Road, will see the majority of operators, including open access operators, introduce a new timetable in December as planned. The Government has accepted the rail industry’s recommended approach, which has rightly been designed to minimise the risk of future disruption to passengers and other rail users. The Government wants, however, to see the benefits for rail users of the December timetable changes delivered as soon as is possible and will be reflecting this in discussions with individual train operators on the delivery of their contractual obligations.

Railways: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision not to introduce in full a new railway timetable in December 2018 on the services of rail freight operators.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail is working with freight operators to minimise the impact on their operations of the December 2018 timetable decision. Network Rail has asked all freight operators to provide details of their priorities for December 2018 and will endeavour to include these where capacity and other constraints allow. Furthermore, in line with standard industry processes, the Department expects Network Rail to facilitate where possible any ‘spot bid’ applications for train slots that freight operators may make in response to their commercial requirements.

Railways: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision not to introduce in full a new railway timetable  in December 2018 on the services provided by open access operators.

Joseph Johnson: There is no impact as they will be moving to their December timetable.

East Coast Railway Line

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he made of the potential level of use of Intercity Express Programme rolling stock on the east coast main line as a result of not introducing in full a new railway timetable  in December 2018 or providing the planned level of service.

Joseph Johnson: We have accepted the industry recommendations for the December 2018 timetable. London North Eastern Railway will be proceeding with its timetable changes. We expect Intercity Express Trains to be introduced into services on the East Coast Mainline from December 2018 as planned.

Northern Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increased number of short-form units in use across the Northern Rail franchise in the last month.

Joseph Johnson: Northern had built up its electric train fleet in preparation for delivering the original May 2018 timetable. With delays to the completion of electrification work, Northern is having to use its residual diesel fleet to cover more of its services than was planned. This is happening at a time when trains are also being taken out of service to be refurbished as promised to passengers as part of its franchise agreement.

Railways: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what specification and configuration of electric trains the new depot at Kettering will be built for; and where those trains will receive heavy maintenance.

Joseph Johnson: We recently issued the East Midlands Franchise competition Invitation to Tender. In response, bidders are required to set out their proposed rolling stock, depot, maintenance, and stabling strategies. We will then evaluate the proposals before announcing the preferred bidder in Spring 2019. The Midland Main Line Programme includes the construction of stabling facilities at Kettering for up to four 240m length electric trains. Network Rail are designing and building the facility in line with a set of agreed assumptions, and these assumptions have been provided to bidders to develop their proposals.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Timetables

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department were involved in the decision to choose 15 July 2018 as the implementation date for the interim Govia Thameslink Railway timetable.

Joseph Johnson: The date of introduction for the interim timetable was proposed by the operator.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of claims for compensation for delayed rail services made to Govia Thameslink Railway were successful in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The following table shows the number of successful claims made to Govia Thameslink Railway and their proportion of the total. Financial YearNumber SuccessfulProportion of total16/17750,85985%17/18915,80684%18/19315,71489% Note: The Department does not hold this data prior to December 2016. In the table above, 16/17 is the period December 2016 to March 2017; 18/19 is the period 1 April 2018 to 23 June 2018, the latest date for which the data is currently available.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of time was for compensation to be paid to a claimant for delayed rail services by Govia Thameslink Railway in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold this data prior to December 2016 and does not yet hold this data after 23 June 2018. Govia Thameslink Railway’s average response time has been as follows: 2016/17 (December 2016 to March 2017): 5.6 days2017/18: 2.5 days2018/19 (to 23 June): 2.3 days

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to extend the compensation scheme announced on 6 July 2018 to Govia Thameslink Railway passengers who are non-season ticket holders.

Joseph Johnson: The compensation package has been designed to compensate the worst-affected passengers who travel using season tickets. However, passengers who travel less frequently can claim Delay Repay compensation for the disruption they have experienced, and we encourage them to do so.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Timetables

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times (a) he and (b) the Minister with responsibility for rail have met the chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway since the introduction of the new national rail timetable.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Electrification

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to complete the electrification of the mainline between Cardiff and London.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Electrification

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the delay to the electrification of the mainline between Cardiff and London; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much rail track in Wales has been electrified since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Electrification

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the savings accrued to the public purse as a result of the cancellation of rail electrification projects since 2015.

Joseph Johnson: We are focused on delivering better journeys for passengers as soon as possible. The decisions we have made mean that passengers will benefit from faster journeys, more seats and better quality trains sooner, and with less disruption, compared with putting up intrusive wires and masts. We are investing in the biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era but we are rightly subjecting all our projects to ongoing assessment, to ensure we deliver the best results for rail users and taxpayers.

Railway Stations: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent from the public purse on improving Welsh rail stations since 2015.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has contributed towards major schemes at Cardiff Central and Port Talbot Parkway stations and a new station for Bow Street near Aberystwyth, together with investment in a new station at Pye Corner seeing it open just before 2015.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Jaguar Land Rover: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of Jaguar Land Rover on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on (a) current plans to build electric cars in Coventry and (b) plans to create 6,000 new jobs on land south of the A45 by Coventry Airport as part of the Whitley South scheme.

Richard Harrington: We have regular dialogue with key stakeholders in the automotive sector such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) about a wide range of matters, including the challenges that leaving the EU poses and the opportunities that will become open to us. JLR have recently announced plans for investment in their factories in the West Midlands, which will include production of electric vehicles.

Carbon Dioxide: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the shortage of CO2 on businesses in Coventry.

Richard Harrington: The Government recognises the importance of the industrial gases sector, including the CO2-providing subsector. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has continued to monitor the shortage and Ministers and officials have been in regular contact with producers and suppliers throughout the process. We have been assured by producers of CO2 that production and supply levels are now returning to normal. BEIS officials have also regularly discussed the shortage with counterparts in departments whose sectors were affected. The use of CO2 is particularly prevalent in the agri-food sector, including farming, food and drink manufacturing and processing, soft and alcoholic drink carbonation and cane sugar refining. As the department responsible for these industries, Defra have worked closely with the Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG) and additional food supply chain stakeholders to understand the impacts of the carbon dioxide shortage across the food supply chain.

Insolvency: Separated People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to undertake a review of the adequacy of the guidance given to the Office of the Official Receiver in relation to the separation of non-married couples with shared assets and shared debts.

Richard Harrington: Guidance issued to Official Receivers is reviewed periodically by the Insolvency Service, depending on factors such as the age of the guidance or changes in law or practice. There is no specific guidance to Official Receivers in relation to the separation of non-married couples with shared assets and shared debts, though aspects of this are covered in other guidance such as in relation to the handling of cases where a property is jointly-owned by a non-married couple. That guidance was reviewed last month.

Maternity Leave

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of women who took unpaid maternity leave in 2017.

Richard Harrington: Our most recent data on unpaid maternity leave is from the Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey in 2009, which found that 11% of mothers received neither statutory maternity pay, occupational maternity pay nor Maternity Allowance. The main reasons for not receiving pay include not having sufficient continuous service with the same employer and being unemployed. The Government will shortly commission a new survey, which will provide updated information.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons the Government abstained in the vote on the UN Human Rights Council resolution to dispatch an independent commission to investigate whether Israel breached international humanitarian law with its use of force against Palestinian civilians.

Alistair Burt: ​I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 21 May 2018 (PQ 146276).

Libya: Terrorism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the capability of (a) Al Qaeda and (b) Daesh in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The conflict in Yemen has allowed terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda and Daesh to establish themselves and spread their message of violence and extremism. They continue to pose a threat to Yemen, the region and beyond. We are working with partners to monitor the threat from these organisations and disrupt any attack planning.

Yemen: Terrorism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has made to counter Daesh and Al Qaeda in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: We continue to cooperate with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.We continue to work towards the development of a stable and prosperous Yemen which benefits the Yemeni people. Ultimately, an enduring political settlement, strong security institutions and effective governance will be needed to deny terrorist organisations the space in which to operate.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to visit (a) Riyadh and (b) Dubai to discuss with his counterparts in those countries, the current situation in Hudaydah, Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to discuss the current situation in Hodeidah with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at all levels. I met with the Yemeni and Saudi Foreign ministers during my visit to Riyadh on 14-15 July. The previous Foreign Secretary met with the Emirati Deputy Foreign Minister on 25 June in Dubai.

Yemen: Weapons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the levels of arms smuggling into Yemen from Iran and (b) the effectiveness of UNVIM in preventing arms smuggling,

Alistair Burt: We remain deeply concerned by the findings of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen that missiles, and related military equipment of Iranian origin, were introduced into Yemen after the imposition of the targeted arms embargo. As the Panel concluded, this puts Iran in non-compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015) and reaffirms our concerns about destabilising Iranian activity in Yemen and the wider region. We call on Iran to cease such activity, which risks escalating the conflict, and to support a political solution to the conflict in Yemen.The UK is providing £1.3 million to help the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial imports into Hodeidah and Saleef ports by giving the Coalition confidence that weapons are not coming in on commercial ships. Alongside this financial support, we have also deployed UK experts to support the inspections of ships in Djibouti, increasing the proportion of physical inspections ten-fold.

Nicaragua: Violence

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will respond to EDM 1494, Unrest and Violence in Nicaragua.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Nicaraguan Ambassador to the UK on the human rights situation in Nicaragua.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nicaragua on the (a) human rights situation and (b) political violence in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: I was clear with the Nicaraguan Government, in a meeting of 3 July, that for stability to return the Government must take responsibility for ending the violence, and that inclusive dialogue promised by the authorities should proceed under peaceful conditions.I have expressed deep concern about the excessive use of force by the Government, including the use of live ammunition, and the human rights abuses reported by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) and the UN. I welcome the Government's invitations to the IACHR, the UN, and the EU to support a resolution of the crisis and urge the authorities to allow them to carry out their work fully without hindrance.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to secure the immediate release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Alistair Burt: ​We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian Government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a running commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to meet his Iranian counterpart to discuss the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary will be arranging introductory calls with all his key interlocutors in the coming weeks, including his Iranian counterpart. We are unable to confirm the timing of this at present.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent update he has received on a potential release date for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Alistair Burt: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested on 3 April 2016 as she was returning to the UK from a family holiday in Iran. She was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2017, two appeals against her conviction were rejected. We will continue to take action on all our dual national cases in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases.

Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle: Agriculture

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made with his Irish counterparts on concluding an agreement on the management of agriculture activities in (a) Lough Foylet and (b) Carlingford Lough; what the remaining matters are to be resolved; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings he has held with his Irish counterparts to discuss a management agreement for agriculture activities for (a) Lough Foyle and (b) Carlingford Lough in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a management agreement with the Republic of Ireland on agriculture activities in relation to (a) Lough Foyle and (b) Carlingford Lough will be in place when the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government's position on Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough has not changed. The regulation of activities in Lough Foyle is the responsibility of the Loughs Agency, a cross-border body established under the Belfast Agreement of 1998. We remain fully committed to these arrangements and continue to work closely with the Irish Government over improvements to the management of the Loughs. British and Irish officials last met in October 2017 when a number of issues were discussed including the Loughs, and the management of aquaculture in them, and they have been in regular contact since.Like the Irish Government, we do not anticipate these issues forming part of the negotiations over the UK's exit from the European Union. Indeed, we have both publically stated on numerous occasions that the issue of the management of the Loughs is distinct from, and will not form part of, any Brexit negotiation.

Attorney General

Offences against Children: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the oral contribution of the Solicitor General of 21 June 2018, Official Report, column 462, when he plans to respond to the Spicer report on the sexual exploitation of girls and young women in Newcastle.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General's Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Legal Evaluation Panel

John Grogan: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Public Legal Evaluation Panel to date.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General's Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care

Nutrition: Scotland

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication entitled A Healthier Future: Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, published by the Scottish Government on 2 July 2018, whether he plans to seek convergence of regulations on price promotion between Scotland and England.

Steve Brine: We welcome Scotland producing its own obesity plan and recognise many of our ambitions are aligned, including measures on price promotions. In the second chapter of our childhood obesity plan, launched in June 2018, we have committed to consult on price promotions later this year. We will consider all responses before setting out the next steps, including looking at the action being taken in Scotland. ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2’ is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2

Health Services

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to promote parity of treatment of mental and physical health conditions.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government enshrined parity of esteem in physical and mental health in law in the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The NHS Constitution now states that the National Health Service “is designed to improve, prevent, diagnose and treat both physical and mental health problems with equal regard”. The Department is investing in mental health to expand and improve services via the Mental Health Five Year Forward View. Spending on mental health increased to a planned £11.86 billion in 2017/18. NHS England’s Mental Health Investment Standard requires the local NHS clinical commissioning groups to increase mental health investment by at least the same proportion as overall allocations. The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 states that clinical commissioning groups should show “measurable progress towards the parity of esteem for mental health enshrined in the NHS Constitution, particularly for those in vulnerable situations”.

Mental Health: First Aid

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to promote mental health first aid.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has committed to delivering mental health “first aid” training to a member of staff in all schools across England by the end of this Parliament. The programme to deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid training to secondary school staff is in its second year of delivery. We have so far invested over £450,000 in the programme, and have delivered the training to staff in over 1,300 secondary schools. We expect to reach 2,000 schools by the end of 2018/19. The Department has set aside a further £5 million to deliver mental health first aid and awareness training to a member of staff in all primary schools across England by the end of this Parliament. In addition to this, the Department is working with Public Health England to launch a £15 million national campaign in autumn 2018 to train 1 million people in mental health awareness and first aid.

Diabetes: Driving

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on people living with diabetes of the changes to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) guidelines on driving and diabetes given that NICE recommends that healthcare professionals take the DVLA’s guidance into account when offering glucose monitoring technology.

Steve Brine: Whilst the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is reviewing its approach to glucose monitoring technology, the current provision is that drivers are still required to test using finger prick/capillary glucose values, rather than using values from flash glucose monitoring.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of insulin pumps for people throughout England with type 1 diabetes.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines. In this case the relevant guidelines are published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ‘Evidence-based recommendations on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (insulin pump therapy) for treating type 1 diabetes in adults and children’ is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta151

Diabetes: Derbyshire and Tameside

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the uptake of structured education programmes among people with type (a) 1 and (b) 2 diabetes in the CCG area of (i) Tameside and Glossop and (ii) North Derbyshire is low; whether he is taking steps to improve that uptake; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Tameside and Glossop Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has established a Diabetes Improvement Group – working with Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – to deliver improvements and address issues relating to local diabetes care. A recent presentation to local general practitioners (GPs) included data on primary care performance, including structured education. The Diabetes Improvement Group has identified structured education as a key project. The National Diabetes Audit data for 2016/17 and 2017/18 show that Tameside and Glossop CCG has referred more than 90% of diabetes patients to structured education. North Derbyshire CCG is aware of a local issue with coding in GP practice systems and has been working with practices to resolve it. The CCG advises that this will have a positive impact on the recording of diabetes education take-up levels.

Dalteparin

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions for dalteparin have been issued in (a) primary and (b) secondary care in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: The information is not available in the requested format. We do not hold data for items dispensed in secondary care. Information for items dispensed in primary care is shown in the following table. Number of prescription items of dalteparin sodium written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England, 2015 to 2017.YearTotal2015155,9552016146,8162017139,993Source: Prescription Cost Analysis

Parental Orders: Surrogate Motherhood

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on the pre-authorisation of parental orders to enable legal parenthood to be conferred on surrogate parents at the point a child is born.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) equity and (b) efficacy of existing time limits in relation to parental orders for surrogate parenthood.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has supported a review of all surrogacy legislation by the Law Commission. Issues around the process and rules of applying for parental orders will be considered as part of the review.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 154743 on Surgical Mesh Implants, what recent discussions his Department has had with Dr Andrew Baranowski of the British Pain Society.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has not had any recent discussions with Dr Andrew Baranowski of the British Pain Society regarding surgical mesh.

Self-harm: Children

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people under the age of 18 have presented at A&E in need of treatment for self-harm in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table. Count of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances1 with an A&E patient group of self-harm, for patients aged between 0 and 17, 2012-13 to 2016-17. Financial yearAttendances2012-1313,8592013-1417,4862014-1517,0192015-1617,9722016-1716,851Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital Note:Attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may attend a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion within the period.

Self-harm: Children

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people under the age of 18 have been treated in mental health units for self-harm in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Spondyloarthritis

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a widespread adoption of the NICE Quality Standard on Spondyloarthritis.

Steve Brine: No recent assessment has been made. On 28 June 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a new Quality Standard (QS) on spondyloarthritis. The QS includes four quality statements identified as the markers of high quality spondyloarthritis care. QSs are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to NICE QSs in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.

General Practitioners: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to support GP services in the East Midlands.

Steve Brine: As part of the General Practice Forward View, NHS England North Midlands has been allocated £510,000 in the 2018/19 General Practice Resilience programme. This funding is designed to support practices to become more resilient providers by delivering services at larger scale. NHS England North Midlands has also been allocated £640,136 in 2018/19 to support reception and clerical staff training. NHS England has made available to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) their share of this allocation. £10.7 million has also been allocated to NHS England North Midlands in 2018/19 to support the Estates and Technology Transformation programme. CCGs have been invited to bid for this funding to support their practices. There are also a number of local initiatives in Mansfield and Ashfield CCG to support general practitioners (GPs). This includes funding protected learning for both clinical and non-clinical members of staff, funding for locality meetings for knowledge sharing, and co-ordinating IT infrastructure and technology investment including role out of mobile working infrastructure and Wi-Fi in GP practices.

Alcoholic Drinks: Industry

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 160717 on Alcoholic Drinks: Industry, if he will publish the (a) dates, (b) attendees and (c) topics of each of those meetings.

Steve Brine: The attached table sets out the dates on which, according to the Department’s records, Department of Health and Social Care officials responsible for alcohol policy met representatives of the alcohol industry in 2017 and 2018. The table also identifies the topic or topics of each meeting. Senior civil servants and chief executive officers have been identified by name, otherwise only the organisation is listed.



PQ163527 attached table
(Word Document, 22.73 KB)

Self Harm: Females

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his polices of reports from the British Medical Association that self-harm among teenage girls has increased by 68 per cent in the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is aware of research showing increases in attendances at hospital and in primary care for self-harm amongst young women and continues to review a wide range of research to inform evidence-based policy development on mental health. In 2017, the Department expanded the scope of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy to include addressing self-harm as an issue in its own right. The Department also continues to fund the Multi-Centre Study of Self-Harm which analyses data on people presenting at hospital for self-harm and identifies long-term trends. The Government is investing at record levels to transform mental health services which includes making available £1.4 billion to improve access to children and young people’s mental health services. We are investing up to an additional £300 million to deliver the proposals set out in the joint health and education Green Paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper’. In addition, the Government is investing £247 million to roll-out liaison mental health teams in accident and emergency departments by 2020 to ensure that people who present at hospital with mental health problems get the appropriate care and treatment they need. Liaison mental health teams are well placed to deal with presentations for self-harm and to ensure that people receive a psychosocial assessment of their mental health needs to prevent further self-harming.

Hepatitis

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148619, if he will set a publication date for Public Health England’s Operational Delivery Network Hepatitis C profile tool.

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148619, whether the Public Health England’s Operational Delivery Network Hepatitis C profile tool will be published before the summer recess.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s Operational Delivery Network (ODN) Hepatitis C profile tool will be published in late July 2018, after the summer recess, and is intended to support prevention, testing and diagnosis, and treatment activities at ODN level.

Dementia

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the he is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with dementia have access to community support services that support their personal (a) interests and (b) requirements.

Caroline Dinenage: We are fully committed to offering meaningful care and support to people diagnosed with dementia in line with our 2020 Challenge on Dementia. Commissioning of services for people with dementia are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The Government and NHS England would expect CCGs to commission services based on local population needs and taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Spondyloarthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the guidance issued by NICE on Spondyloarthritis QS170, in June 2018 is implemented effectively throughout the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: On 28 June 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a new Quality Standard (QS) on spondyloarthritis. QSs are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high-quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to NICE QSs in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and implementation of QSs is not mandatory. The way NICE was established in legislation means that its guidance is officially for England only. However, NICE has agreements to provide certain NICE products and services to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Decisions on how NICE guidance is applied in these countries are made by the devolved administrations.

Obesity

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will respond to the recommendations in the report, The current landscape of obesity services, published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity in May 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission a cost-benefit analysis of allocating additional funding for the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of obesity.

Steve Brine: We welcome the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity’s report ‘The current landscape of obesity services’ which makes a valuable contribution to this debate. We published the second chapter of our world-leading childhood obesity plan on 25 June. This builds on the real progress we have made since the publication of chapter one in 2016, particularly in reformulation of the products our children eat and drink most. As with our initial plan, these new policies were informed by the latest research and emerging evidence, including from debates in Parliament and various reports from key stakeholders. There are no current plans to commission a cost-benefit analysis of allocating additional funding for the prevention and treatment of obesity. ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2’ is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle alcohol abuse.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to addressing the health harms relating to alcohol abuse and the negative impacts this can have on drinkers themselves, their friends and families, and wider society. In 2016 the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) published low risk drinking guidelines to provide the public with the most up to date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking. These are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-consumption-advice-on-low-risk-drinking The drinking guidelines are included in a range of public health messaging, including Public Health England’s (PHE’s) ‘One You’ campaigns and on the ‘NHS Choices’ website to encourage the public to drink within the CMOs’ guidelines. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning effective alcohol prevention and treatment services based on an assessment of local need. PHE supports local authorities in this work by providing data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice to help local authorities meet the needs of their local population. The Government is also developing a new alcohol strategy. Government officials are currently exploring what should be included in the strategy and aim to publish this early next year following discussions with stakeholders. The new strategy will allow us to consider the changing landscape of alcohol use and to target vulnerable people who need support most with effective, evidence-based interventions. Additionally, £6 million of new Government funding to improve outcomes for children whose parents are dependent on alcohol has been announced. This will include development of an existing helpline and finance for up to eight local authorities to implement innovative, evidence informed interventions for both children and families. Details of the Innovation Fund are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/news/innovation-fund-open-to-help-children-of-dependent-drinkers Announcements of successful bids will be made in the autumn. This programme is jointly funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and will complement DWP’s Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. Also, as part of this programme we have identified £1 million of funding over the next two years to assist the voluntary sector in building capacity to help us better identify and support children, and tackle conflict within families.

Hospices: Children

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2018 to Question 162133 on Hospices: Children, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the Children’s Hospice Grant; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: No specific assessment has been made. The Children’s Hospice Grant is awarded annually and administered by NHS England. During 2016/17, NHS England worked with Together for Short Lives, the leading children’s end of life care charity, on a consultation on allocation method for the grant in 2017/18. All children’s hospices were invited to participate in the consultation. Following the consultation, NHS England decided to maintain the grant funding at its then current level of £11 million per year for 2017/18 and 2018/19, and review the grant allocation again in 2019/20.

NHS Digital

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) mean, (b) median and (c) modal time taken is for NHS Digital to process a request for data from universities and other healthcare research organisations.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital has advised that requests for data received by its Data Access Request Service for the period July 2017 to end June 2018 are as shown in the following table. These include time where the application is with the customer to provide additional detail, as well as the time that the application is with NHS Digital. MeanMedianMode92 working days53 working days9,16 or 34 working daysSource: NHS Digital

NHS Digital

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS Digital does to ensure that requests for access to survey data are treated differently from requests to access patient and service use data.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much resource NHS Digital is using to process applications by researchers to access survey data.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital has advised that it has data processor agreements in place with the UK Data Service so that archived survey datasets are made available to users registered with the UK Data Service under the Service’s safeguarded data terms and conditions. Anonymised data may be placed in the public domain while pseudonymised data is released with appropriate controls in place through a data sharing agreement. Requests for online access or extracts of data held by NHS Digital are strictly controlled by the Data Access Request Service. This ensures that data are only shared where there is an appropriate legal basis, a purpose that benefits the health and social care system, and that appropriate security safeguards are in place. The majority of NHS Digital survey datasets are disclosure controlled and then archived and made available for further research on the UK Data Service under end user licenses. Minimal NHS Digital resource is utilised to process applications for access to these archived survey datasets as they are managed in full by the UK Data Service.

Mental Illness: Surveys

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of applications to use APMS 2014 data received a decision more than three months after being submitted in the last period for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital has advised that, as of 17 July 2018, 20 requests for Alternative Provider Medical Services data had been submitted to NHS Digital and accepted into the Data Access Request Service. Of these, two applications were not being progressed by the customer. Progress on the other requests is shown in the following table.  Less than three months after submissionMore than three months after submissionIn progress72Approved72 This period includes the change in legislative basis for the release of such data, specifically the introduction of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Autism

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who have a diagnosis of autism have been in hospital for more than two years by ethnicity.

Caroline Dinenage: The Assuring Transformation (AT) data collection relates to patients with a diagnosis of learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. The following table contains data taken from our most recent AT publication using May 2018 data, and covers patients who have an open hospital spell at the end of May 2018. The patients do not necessarily have a diagnosis of autism but have answered a question that describes the patient’s condition as autism. The patient’s total length of stay is over two years. This is then split by national ethnic category.  May 2018 TotalTotal inpatients described to have autism, with a total length of stay over two years260  Ethnicity White210British205Irish*Any other White background*Mixed10White and Black Caribbean5White and Black African*White and Asian*Any other mixed background*Asian or Asian British*Indian*Pakistani*Bangladeshi*Any other Asian background*Black or Black British*Caribbean*African*Any other Black background*Other Ethnic Groups15Chinese*Any other ethnic group*Not Stated10Not known20Source: Assuring Transformation Collection, NHS Digital Notes: The Assuring Transformation collection covers England, but includes patients whose care is commissioned in England and provided elsewhere in the United Kingdom. These figures represent the number of patients who are receiving inpatient care at the end of the month. Data in this table has been updated to include the most up-to-date figures so includes late submissions from commissioners. Numbers less than five have been replaced by '*' and other values have been rounded to the nearest five to minimise disclosure risks associated with small numbers. It should be noted that rows will therefore not always add up to the total.

Autism

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of misdiagnosis which were corrected to a diagnosis of autism have occurred in each of the last five years by gender.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of misdiagnosis were corrected to a diagnosis of autism in each ethnic group, in each of the last five years.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many autistic females under the age of 18 have been diagnosed (a) with co-morbid mental illness and (b) with a mental illness prior to their autism diagnosis.

Caroline Dinenage: Data is not collected centrally on how many people have had instances of misdiagnosis or correction of diagnosis relating to autism. Data is not collected centrally on how many people have a co-morbid or other mental illnesses, prior or after receiving a diagnosis of autism.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representation he has received on his Department's participation in the 8th Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation framework convention on Tobacco Control in October 2018.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's priorities are for the 8th Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation Framework convention on Tobacco Control to be held in October 2018.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom Government will participate in the 8th Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Geneva in October 2018. The Department has not received representations relating to its participation. The CoP draft agenda has now been published on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control website at the following link: http://www.who.int/fctc/cop/sessions/cop8/en/ As a global leader on tobacco control, the UK Government will engage constructively at the CoP, working closely with fellow members of the European Union and with other partners, with a view to promoting the effective implementation of the Convention and thereby addressing the global tobacco epidemic.

Gambling

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who are at risk of developing a gambling addiction.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 18 who have a gambling addiction.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to recognise gambling disorder and addiction as a distinct mental health condition; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Government has not made any estimates of the number of people at risk of developing a gambling addiction. The most recent figures from the Health Survey for England published in April 2018, estimated that 3.6% of people in England were at low or moderate risk of developing problems with their gambling. The Gambling Commission support a survey of young people each year, which found in 2017 that 0.9% of 11-16 year olds are defined as problem gamblers and 1.3% are ‘at risk’ gamblers. The survey is available at the following link: live-gamblecom.cloud.contensis.com/PDF/survey-data/Young-People-and-Gambling-2017-Report.pdf It is not the role of the Department to recognise gambling disorder and addiction as a distinct mental health condition. The International Classification of Disease (ICD) is a system created by the World Health Organization (WHO) for documenting diagnoses, diseases, signs and symptoms and social circumstances. The ICD was revised in 2018 (ICD-11) and now recognises gambling disorder as a mental health condition due to addictive behaviours. The revised document will be formally published in 2019 and as a WHO member, the Government will adopt this updated classification standard for collecting and reporting information related to health conditions by 2022. Further information is available on the WHO website at the following link: icd.who.int/

Social Services: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the provision of social care in St Helens in each year up to 2025.

Caroline Dinenage: As a result of a range of Government actions, St Helens received an additional £13.2 million for adult social care in 2018/19. With full take-up of the social care precept in 2018/19 and 2019/20 based on their previous decisions, St Helens could receive a total of £37.4 million additional funding between 2017/18 and 2019/20. St Helens's adult social care budget for 2018/19 is £49.3 million. This is a 1.0% decrease (in cash terms) compared to the previous year (2017/18). In 2017/18 St Helens's budgeted £49.8 million for adult social care. This is a 12.0% increase (in cash terms) compared to the previous year (2016/17). The Government will take decisions on funding for social care beyond 2019/20 as part of the upcoming spending review.

Department of Health and Social Care: EY

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value is of his Department's contract with EY consultants; and what steps his Department is taking to measure the value for money of that contract.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has the following contracts with Ernst & Young: ContractValuePharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) Project 1 - 2019 Analysts and Negotiators£475,080CP1 Finance Support£242,748DHSC Procurement Transformation Programme£29,590,000 The contract to support the Department of Health and Social Care Procurement Transformation Programme was let through an open Official Journal of the European Union procurement process. Both the PPRS Project 1 contract and the CP1 Finance Support contract were let through the Crown Commercial Service’s Management Consultancy Framework. This Framework has centrally agreed benchmarked rates to ensure value for money. The Department monitors the supplier’s contract performance against agreed milestones and Key Performance Indicators. Regular contract review meetings are held with the supplier, during which performance is discussed. This includes regularly reviewing each contract to ensure it remains fit-for-purpose and value for money.

Department of Health and Social Care: Consultants

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to external consultants in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: The question has been interpreted as requesting the level of consultancy spend by the core Department. As such the Department’s expenditure on consultancy services, for each of the last five financial years is as follows: Financial YearConsultancy Services (£000s)2017-1812,4022016-174,4852015-167,6572014-158,6912013-14588 The Department utilises consultancy services where it is necessary and prudent to do so. The increase in spend between 2016-17 and 2017-18 relates to programmes of a short term nature that require specialist support not available within the Department. These resources primarily support development and implementation of a new supply chain model to produce procurement efficiency and value for money for NHS services and the Corporate Services Improvement Programme.

Genetics: Screening

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the award of contracts for genomics laboratory services.

Caroline Dinenage: As part of the Genomic Testing Services procurement NHS England is procuring seven Genomic Laboratory Hubs to act as a national network to deliver an equitable national genomic testing service. The procurement was launched in December 2017 and the evaluation process is currently ongoing. The Genomic Laboratory Hubs will form a key part of the infrastructure for the national Genomic Medicine Service, which will go live from October 2018.

Malnutrition

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of malnutrition there have been in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital has provided a count of finished admission episodes1 with a primary or secondary diagnosis2 of malnutrition3 for the years 2010-11 to 2016-174. This information is provided in the following table. Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorYearMalnutrition2010-114,6572011-125,3772012-135,4992013-146,6532014-157,3482015-167,8552016-178,417Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. ICD-10 codingMalnutrition:E40 KwashiorkorE41 Nutritional marasmusE42 Marasmic kwashiorkorE43 Unspecified severe protein-energy malnutritionE44 Protein-energy malnutrition of moderate and mild degreeE45 Retarded development following protein-energy malnutritionE46 Unspecified protein-energy malnutritionO25 Malnutrition in pregnancyThe presence of an ICD-10 code of malnutrition on the admission episode indicates that the patient was diagnosed with, and would therefore being treated for malnutrition during the episode of care. The cause of malnutrition is not presented here but may be due to dietary issues, an inability to absorb nutrients normally or another disease affecting the patient’s ability to feed normally. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Respiratory System: Health Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the upcoming NHS 10-year plan is planned to include a respiratory programme.

Steve Brine: NHS England is currently looking at respiratory disease as part of the work for the upcoming National Health Service 10-year plan.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many unfilled vacancies there are for learning disability nurses.

Caroline Dinenage: The data is not available in the format requested.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many learning disability nurses were employed in the North East in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the full time equivalent figures for qualified learning disability nurses and health visitors in National Health Service trusts and CCGs in Health Education England North East, as at 30 September each specified year and latest data as at 31 March 2018.  20102011201220132014201520162017March 2018Learning Disabilities/ Difficulties Nurses and Health Visitors in the North East690651625603562519525478495Source: NHS Digital monthly HCHS workforce statistics Some of the reduction in learning disabilities nurses and health visitors will have been due to transfer of staff from the main employers (NHS foundation trusts) to a range of social care employers to reflect care delivered closer to home etc. Those nurses employed by social care providers are not recorded on NHS Digital data.

Orkambi

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to intervene in negotiations between NHS England and pharmaceutical company Vertex on the provision of Orkambi to Cystic Fibrosis patients on the NHS.

Steve Brine: Patients should have access to the most effective and innovative medicines; it is also necessary that Vertex price Orkambi fairly and responsibly. That is why we must go through the right process with NHS England and Vertex, not the Government, working together to secure the best outcome for patients. NHS England has been in intensive discussions with Vertex to encourage it to lower the cost of Orkambi to a level that would allow NHS England to fund its use without adversely impacting other patients. I and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) have been keeping an extremely close eye on these discussions and wrote to Vertex in April, urging it to commit to pricing that is responsible and proportionate. I also re-iterated this message in the adjournment debate on 17 July, Official report, coulmns 383-4.

NHS: Complaints

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Written Question 217624 on NHS: Complaints, whether his Department plans to make publicly available the reviews of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service and NHS Complaints Advocacy arrangements which were envisaged to be completed by spring 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In January 2015 a limited review was conducted in respect of NHS Advocacy Services but this was not published because the Department took the view that local authority commissioning arrangements should drive the accessibility and quality of advocacy services. The Department has also sought to improve the information available locally for patients on how to complain, including by publishing a national advice guide, providing templates for posters on every hospital ward and, through Healthwatch England working with Citizens Advice, ensured there is accurate information online about how to complain. The Department’s Feedback Improvement Partnership work programme includes examining the support and information available locally for patients on how to complain if they are dissatisfied with NHS services. This includes support provided by both the Patient Advice and Liaison Service and NHS Complaints Advocacy Services.

Department for International Development

Libya: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which three programmes in Libya receive the largest amount of funding from her Department.

Alistair Burt: The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to support Libya’s political stability and reform. DFID programmes provide much needed humanitarian and healthcare assistance to the most vulnerable. As part of DFID’s £75 million migration programme working along the Central Mediterranean route, up to £5 million will be allocated to humanitarian assistance and protection for migrants and refugees in Libya. In addition, a two-year programme worth £3.29 million focusses on multi sector humanitarian assistance and building capacity of primary health care services. Alongside this, we continue to help fund the European Union Trust Fund, which works in a number of countries, including Libya, where it focuses on improving conditions for migrants in detention centres. The UK’s total contribution to the North Africa window of the Fund is €18m.

Libya: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which organisations her Department allocates funding to for programmes in Libya.

Alistair Burt: DFID works with a range of partners to deliver programmes in Libya. DFID’s £5million migration programme is delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and a non-government organisation consortium led by the Danish Refugee Council. The two year humanitarian programme is being delivered by the World Health Organisation, International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. DFID also contributes to existing Funds that support migrants and refugees through the European Union, who manage the relationship with implementing organisations.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the erection of a billboard in April 2018, organised and sponsored by the PA funded Palestinian Prisoners' Club, honouring 17 Palestinian terrorists.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. During my most recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in May 2018, I personally led this year’s high level annual meeting as part of our annual dialogue with the PA where I challenged the PA on a number of issues such as incitement. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle of non-violence.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the naming of a PA Ministry of Education branch volleyball championship in May 2018 after Abd Al-Jaber Abd Al-Qaeder Khaled, who attempted to carry out a suicide bombing attack in 2002.

Alistair Burt: Our sustained support to the PA means that we have a close and robust relationship with senior PA Ministers. I have raised issues of incitement in the education sector in a number of recent conversations with the PA Minister for Education and Higher Education, most recently when I met with the PA during my visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in May 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the description on official PA TV on 17 February 2018 of the Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Jamal, responsible for the murder of three Israelis, as a martyr who ascended to heaven.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. During my most recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in May 2018, I personally led this year’s high level annual meeting as part of our annual dialogue with the PA where I challenged the PA on a number of issues such as incitement. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle of non-violence.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the broadcast on 3 February 2018 on the official PA radio station, The Voice of Palestine, of a poem featuring lyrics stating that Palestine is etched on the heart of the foetus, a proud martyr in his mother's womb.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. During my most recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in May 2018, I personally led this year’s high level annual meeting as part of our annual dialogue with the PA where I challenged the PA on a number of issues such as incitement. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle of non-violence.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions: Employment

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of routes to employment for pupils who have been excluded from school.

Anne Milton: There are duties in place to make sure that suitable, full time alternative provision (AP) is available for children of compulsory school age who have been excluded for a fixed period or permanently. Local authorities are responsible for making sure that provision meets the needs of young people in their area. This includes identifying 16 to 19 year olds who are not in education, employment or training, such as those excluded from school, and providing the help they need to participate and progress.The department is raising the proportion of young people leaving AP to engage in education, employment and training. A high proportion of these students will have special educational needs and/or a disability and through the Children and Families Act 2014 we have put in place support to help these students to succeed alongside their peers. Young people also have access to a range of support and guidance, including the 16-19 Bursary Fund to assist with the costs associated with staying in post-16 further education and Access to Work funding to support apprentices who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition.In March 2018, the government published its vision for AP, including a plan for improving the support it offers to young people. We will continue to engage with AP and post-16 providers to identify and share new ways of helping young people make the transition into post-16 settings and adult life. We have commissioned primary research into the recent experiences of children, schools, AP and post-16 providers regarding this transition. We are also in the process of assessing bids from organisations who have applied to the AP Innovation Fund to design and test new approaches to improve outcomes for young people leaving AP at age 16.

University Technical Colleges

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to promote University Technical Colleges.

Anne Milton: The University Technical Colleges (UTC) programme has an important role to play in our reforms to technical education, with strong UTCs succeeding in equipping young people with the skills businesses need, getting them into employment and supporting social mobility.There are regulations in place that require local authorities to write to parents of pupils in Year 9 to notify them of schools with atypical ages of admission within reasonable travelling distance, which includes UTCs, to make sure they are aware of the choices available to them. Early indications suggest that these letters have had a positive impact on awareness of UTCs and supported their recruitment. Recent changes to the Careers Guidance legislation also requires maintained schools and academies to provide opportunities for providers of technical education, such as UTCs, to visit schools to talk to students in Years 8-13, to inform them of their offer. UTCs are sponsored by employers and they are essential to marketing efforts by UTCs to promote their offer. Employers can demonstrate to pupils how attending the UTC can lead to a successful career. Employers taking a sustained and embedded role in supporting the UTC programme is crucial to their success.

Staying Put: Finance

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to fund Staying Put beyond 2019-20.

Nadhim Zahawi: The cross-government care leaver strategy ‘Keep on Caring’ was published in July 2016. This confirmed that funding for Staying Put would continue to be paid to local authorities until the end of the Spending Review period. It also confirmed that the funding would be up-rated by 2% each year to take inflation into account. The amount of funding is therefore £23.3 million for the period 2018 to 2019 and £23.77 million for the period 2019 to 2020. Funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.

Pre-school Education: Private Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many private nursery schools there were in (a) London and (b) England as of 1 July 2018.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many private nursery schools there were in (a) London and (b) England in (i) 2000, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2017.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of maintained nursery schools were rated (a) good and (b) outstanding at their last Ofsted inspection.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many private nursery schools were rated (a) Good and (b) Outstanding at their last Ofsted inspection.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many specialist leaders of education in England are specialists in (a) English and (b) special educational needs and disability.

Nadhim Zahawi: Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) are designated by Teaching Schools. Although we request that Teaching Schools inform us of all SLE designations and de-designations, this is not a condition of our grant payments to Teaching Schools. Based on the information supplied to us by Teaching Schools, there are 1330 SLEs with the special educational needs specialism and 2461 SLEs with the English specialism as of 1 July 2018.

Children in Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been taken into social care in each of the last five years; and what assessment he had made of reasons for the trends in those numbers.

Nadhim Zahawi: We monitor the number of children entering the care system on an ongoing basis and information showing the change in the number of children entering the care system in the last five years is provided in the table below:Children who started to be looked after1,2,3 and children who were taken into care during the year4 ending 31 March 2013 to 2017 20132014201520162017Children who started to be looked after28,98030,73031,36032,16032,810Of which children who were taken into care411,15010,95010,84011,81014,490Source: SSDA903Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted.Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, but include children who were previously looked after under and agreed series of short term placements but have changed to become looked after under a different legal status (e.g. care order) in the year.A child starts to be looked after when they are provided with local authority accommodation. Of these, a child is deemed to have been ‘taken into care’ if they start to be looked after under an interim or full care order, or if they are detained for child protection under a police protection order, emergency protection order or child assessment order.  Further breakdowns of children who started to be looked after can be found in Tables C1 and C2 of the statistical first release Children Looked After in England including Adoption: 2016 to 2017 at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017. We want the very best for all children, including those who come into contact with the children’s social care system and we set out our vision for delivering excellent children’s social care in ‘Putting Children First’. This outlines our reform programme which seeks to: improve the quality of social work practice; create systems and environments where great social work can flourish; promote learning and multi-agency working where all involved in supporting children and families can work together; and support children who both enter and leave the care system. The reforms are designed to ensure that all vulnerable children and families receive the highest-quality care and support and that only those children who need to be are removed from their families and only then as a last resort. We have invested over £200 million through the Innovation Programme to test and develop better practice, including testing approaches to help vulnerable children to remain safely at home.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what supplementary funding is available for maintained nursery schools to apply for.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding the Government has provided to maintained nursery schools in each of the least eight years.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding the Government has provided to maintained nursery schools in Hull in each of the least eight years.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether maintained nursery schools will continue to be eligible to apply for supplementary funding beyond 2020.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nursery schools currently receive supplementary funding.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nursery schools in Hull currently receive supplementary funding.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with nursery school operators on providing them with supplementary funding.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of removing supplementary funding from nurseries on the number of nurseries closing down.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained nursery schools (MNS) make an important contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. In recognition of the costs that MNS experience over and above other providers, we are providing supplementary funding – additional to funding received under the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) – of around £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect MNS pre-EYNFF funding levels until 2019-20.There is one MNS in Kingston-upon-Hull, McMillan Nursery School. The Department for Education allocated the City of Kingston-upon-Hull £187,575.60 in MNS supplementary funding for the 2017-18 financial year.It is for individual local authorities to make decisions on the allocation of funding, including supplementary funding, to their MNS. Local authorities are required to report their planned spending in their section 251 returns, which are published via the early years funding proforma here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-benchmarking-tool.Our supplementary funding provides MNS with stability whilst we develop a long-term solution for them. An important part of this will be understanding the value for money that they offer, and new research will report on this later in the year.We continue to meet with a wide variety of early years and MNS sector representatives on a wide variety of topics, including MNS funding.

School Teachers' Review Body

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the 28th report of the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Nick Gibb: The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) has recently submitted its 28th Report to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, which makes recommendations on the 2018 pay award. The Government will now consider carefully the report from the STRB and its recommendations. The Department will publish the report and its response as soon as possible.

Apprentices: Qualifications

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of apprenticeships in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the UK achieve NVQ level 3.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in Ashfield constituency have started apprenticeships with (a) levy paying and (b) non-levy paying employers in each of the last three academic years.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeship achievement rates are published in our annual national achievement rates tables by local authority district. Tables for the 2016 to 2017 academic year are published here.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-achievement-rates-tables-2016-to-2017.The table attached provides the cohort numbers and proportions achieving the advanced Level 3 apprenticeship for Ashfield constituency, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham local authority district and England for the 2016 to 2017 academic year and show that Ashfield outperform the local area and the country. Figures are based on learner home postcode. We do not hold data for the United Kingdom, but for England only.The apprenticeship levy was introduced in April 2017. We do not hold the information on apprenticeship employers that pay/do not pay the levy, but do hold information on apprenticeship service (AS) accounts that hold levy funds, which can be used to fund an apprenticeship. Apprenticeship starts (including those that are levy supported) in the Ashfield constituency are shown in the attached table.



Proportion_achieving_Level_3_and_Ashfield_starts
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Apprentices

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support his Department offers to areas with low university attendance to encourage young people to take apprenticeships of NVQ level 3 or above.

Anne Milton: Our reforms continue to improve the quality of apprenticeships at all levels, providing the skills that employers need. We have already seen the numbers of starts at higher levels (level 4 and above) rise by 12.5 per cent so far this year, compared to the same period last year. We are seeing a healthier balance across all levels, helping people of all ages progress to higher skills.We provide funding to support all young people access apprenticeships. To encourage the employment of young apprentices, the government provides £1,000 payments to both employers and providers when taking on a 16 to 18 year old apprentice. The government also pays 100 per cent of the cost of training for small employers (fewer than 50 employees) who take on a 16 to 18 year old apprentice. This also applies to 19 to 24 year olds who were in care or who have an Education, Health and Care plan. In addition, from August 2018, we are introducing a bursary for care leavers starting apprenticeships. This bursary will be £1,000, available to all care leavers aged 16 to 24 year olds and paid direct to them.Apprenticeships disproportionately benefit people from lower socio-economic backgrounds – delivering more, better quality, apprenticeships will ensure that more people from these backgrounds are enabled to gain the skills and training they need to build successful careers. We provide additional funding support for individuals from disadvantaged areas, by providing a cash payment to providers for training apprentices on frameworks who live in the top 27 per cent of deprived areas.We are increasing the take up of degree apprenticeships through the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund, by funding projects that include encouraging participation of under-represented groups in disadvantaged areas.To promote apprenticeships and encourage take up at all levels, we are targeting employers, parents and young people using proven channels: radio adverts, digital advertising, social media and telemarketing activity. The latest phase of our ‘Get in Go Far’ marketing campaign will launch shortly. We are also taking specific actions to increase starts in the 16 to 18 age group; undertaking sales and marketing activities, targeting employers most likely to offer apprenticeships to this group, and working with organisations that provide careers advice.The National Apprenticeship service has developed the ‘Amazing Apprenticeships’ website and apprenticeship resource portal for schools and teachers. It also offers a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge project to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students.

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for Ashfield of 8 June 2018 on a safeguarding concern at an Ashfield school of a constituent.

Nadhim Zahawi: Unfortunately, the department did not receive your letter. Departmental officials have been in contact with your constituency office, who have resent this. A reply will be sent to you in due course.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136545 on Pupils: Disadvantaged, and the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education of 14 May 2018, Official Report, column 8, what his Department's policy is on the review of the educational outcomes of children in need of help or support aged 16 and 17.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North to the answer I gave on 23 April 2018 to Question 136545.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the summit held on 3 May 2018 to discuss the preparation of new guidance to promote freedom of speech at universities, and the Government response to the Eighth Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Freedom of Speech in Universities, HC 1279, what plans he has to ensure that representatives of University Israel Societies are involved in the discussions on freedom of speech.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I am working with a number of partners in the Higher Education sector in the development of guidance. This includes the National Union of Students, who represent the majority of student unions including those with Israel societies.I have asked the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to lead the guidance. As part of their evidence base the EHRC are considering the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into freedom of speech in universities. The inquiry heard evidence from representatives of the Union of Jewish Students and university Israel societies.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Officers: Training

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether personal officers in the prison system receive training on the importance to the rehabilitation of prisoners of maintaining and improving family ties.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



As part of the Offender Management in Custody model (OMiC), Key Worker roles are being introduced to support the rehabilitative culture and relationship between Prison Officers and prisoners. As part of the key worker training familial relationships and creating positive family ties are highlighted when discussing risk and developing protective factors. A practical session includes a case study where delegates undertaking the Key Worker Training help the prisoner develop a relationship with their father whilst they are in custody.3 Hour OMiC briefing – Locally delivered by OM Key Worker Champions trained by L&D2 Day OM Key Worker Champions Training (16 Hours) – Delivered to Locally identified Grades (Operational and Non-Operational) who will deliver the 3 Hour OMiC Briefing1 Day OM Key Worker Skills Training (8 Hours) – Delivered to all Prison Officer Grades as part of POELT and Establishment Based Key Worker Training Roll Out Newly recruited Prison Officers receive a 12 week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. This provides a foundation level of training in all core skill areas including Offender Management in Custody, Keyworker, Five Minute Interventions and Rehabilitative Culture where the importance of rehabilitation and family ties are discussed. Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) have co-written the module ‘Maintaining Family Ties’ as part of the ‘Visits’ sessions in the POELT course. The session aims to provide new staff with an understanding of policy requirements relating to visits procedures and how they complement the regime and routine of the establishment. It explores the impact and social effects having a relative in prison has on families and children and how prison staff contribute towards a positive visiting experience for prisoners, families and children. Within the training, learners will be introduced to 5 fictional prisoners and consider the following:If meaningful family ties are being maintained by each prisoner and if they are how is this achieved and if not what are the problems/issues.The impact visits have on their family whilst they are in custody,The impact visiting is having on the family and the support they may need,The visit options available to each prisoner and how they can access these,What staff can do to help each prisoner maintain outside contact and meaningful family ties,What other options are available for prisoners, what support networks should be made available whilst in custody and upon release.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who his Department has taken evidence from as part of its review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Lucy Frazer: The Lord Chancellor has confirmed that we shall conduct an evidence-based review of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), assessing the changes against their objectives. The Government remains committed to publishing the findings of the review by the end of this year. The engagement phase of the post-implementation review into our legal aid reforms is currently underway and we are keen to hear from a range of stakeholders and interested parties to establish the impact of the changes. As part of our evidence gathering, we are hosting a series of engagement groups with stakeholders. We have already conducted the first round of engagement meetings and will be holding a further round of meetings later this month. Alongside this the review team are engaging with a number of interested parties in a small group or 1-2-1 meeting. Other interested parties, including members of the public, are able to submit data or evidence directly so that their experiences can be taken into account.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to promote mental health treatment in prisons.

Rory Stewart: Health services in public prisons in England, including mental health treatment, are commissioned and reviewed by NHS England. In Wales, health is devolved to the Welsh Government. However, as signatories to the National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare 2018-2021, the Department works closely with health partners to support the delivery of healthcare by ensuring prisoners are able to access these services. That is why we are investing in our workforce. We have met our target to recruit an additional 2,500 prison officers several months ahead of schedule, helping to ensure that prisoners can be supported to attend scheduled healthcare appointments and receive weekly, one-to-one support from a named prison officer. These officers will coach, signpost and encourage individuals in order that they feel settled and safe and part of this may include signposting individuals to mental health treatment in prison. Beyond staff support, HMPPS invests in various support services for prisoners which can help promote mental health treatment. For example, HMPPS recently refreshed its partnership with the Samaritans to continue funding the Listeners scheme, which trains selected prisoners to provide emotional support to peers. The Department recognises the impact that the prison environment can have on prisoner health and wellbeing, particularly for prisoners with a mental health diagnosis. This is why we are focussing on getting the basics right through our prison estate transformation programme, delivering decent prisons that improve opportunities for rehabilitation and create safe and secure environments for staff and offenders.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) mean and (b) median amount owed is on outstanding statutory charges placed by the Legal Aid Agency.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) mean and (b) median amount of interest owed is for statutory charges placed by the Legal Aid Agency.

Rory Stewart: The mean and median values owed across all statutory charges in favour of the Legal Aid Agency are £6,327.86 and £3,902.25 respectively. The mean and median amounts of interest owed against those charges which accrue interest are £3,889.89 and £2,522.05 respectively. Figures are correct as at 31st March 2018.

Prosecutions

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been issued a postal requisition in (a) total and (b) each Crown Prosecution Service region; and of those people how many (i) failed to (A) attend court and (B) report to a police station and (ii) attended a magistrates court in each year since 2011.

Rory Stewart: The information sought could only be provided at disproportionate cost or is not held.

Wellingborough Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the lifetime cost of the building of HMP Wellingborough.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what model of private finance his Department plans to use in the contract to build HMP Wellingborough.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timeline is for the contract to build HMP Wellingborough to be put out to tender, and what the timeline for the tender process will be.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what date his Department plans for HMP Wellingborough to be built.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what requirements his Department plans to place on the design and building of new prisons relating to the number of occupants in each room.

Rory Stewart: As set out in the 2016 Prison Safety Reform White Paper and 2017 manifesto, we remain committed to building up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation. We intend to build the first prison at Wellingborough through public capital, with construction work expected to begin late 2018 / early 2019 with completion projected for early 2021.The Department awarded to Kier Construction Limited a two-stage contract to design and construct the prison at Wellingborough on 19 February 2018. Negotiations are underway with the constructor on delivery of the cost of the new prison and this is also subject to the usual value for money assessments. The prison has been designed to provide largely single cell accommodation.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: BRIC Countries

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK increases levels of trade with the BRIC countries.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) advises UK businesses considering Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets, and established UK investors in BRIC countries, alongside our strategic business delivery partners such as the British Chamber of Commerce. DIT offers businesses a range of practical support, including local introductions and sector-specific guidance, political and economic briefings, and business events. Government-to-government instruments, such as Joint Trade Reviews and Joint Economic and Trade Commissions (JETCOs), deepen our trading relationships with BRIC partners. DIT held JETCOs with India and Brazil this year and will hold one with China this summer. General guidance on accessing DIT support is available on the .gov websites: www.gov.uk and www.great.gov.uk.

Iron and Steel: USA

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from the economic effect of the introduction of reciprocal tariffs imposed by the EU in response to the tariffs imposed by the US Administration.

George Hollingbery: The UK will uphold the rules of the international trading system which support growth, consumers and industry. We will continue to engage with the US at the highest level, in concert with the EU, to avoid escalation, ensure that world trade is not further undermined, and protect the interests of British industry and consumers.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Northern Ireland

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of potential merits of bringing forward legislative changes to the Equality Act in order to ensure that claimants of housing benefit and universal credit are able to access accommodation in the private rented sector similar to such provisions in the Republic of Ireland.

Nigel Adams: We do not have any plans at present to bring forward legislative changes to the Equality Act. The Government appreciates the problems that housing benefit claimants can sometimes face in finding accommodation in the private rented sector. We strongly encourage landlords and agents to look at all potential and existing tenants claiming housing benefit on an individual basis and published a new How to Let guide on 26 June to help landlords better understand their rights and responsibilities. At present, the English Housing Survey Headline Report 2016-17 (published February 2018) shows that 22 per cent of households privately renting are in receipt of housing benefit. This suggests that it is possible for claimants to access the sector.A number of other MHCLG policies work to combat discrimination and unfair practices. These include the introduction, in April 2018, of banning orders and a rogue landlord database designed to remove the worst landlords from the sector. On 2 July we launched a consultation seeking views on how to overcome the barriers to longer tenancies to ensure that all tenants have the security that they want and need. Further, since October 2014, all letting and managing agents in England have been required to belong to a Government approved redress scheme, giving tenants access to free dispute resolution where problems, including those related to discrimination, occur in relation to their agent.In addition, we are committed to regulating letting agents and requiring them to meet minimum training standards and comply with a code of practice, which will include treating all tenants equally. We will also require all landlords to be members of a redress scheme to ensure that all tenants, not just those who use agents, have access to quick and easy dispute resolution when things go wrong. Our eight week consultation on strengthening redress in housing closed on 16 April. We are analysing responses with a view to publishing a Government response in the Autumn.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Housing Minister on the findings of the Race Disparity Audit in relation to accommodation for Gypsies and Travellers and the Government review, Powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is considering the responses received to the recently closed consultation on the effectiveness of the powers to deal with unauthorised developments and encampments. The consultation touched on a broad range of issues, which included the provision of uthorised sites, and the impact on settled and travelling communities. The Government wants to understand the issues in more depth before deciding what action to take in response to stakeholders' views. The Secretary of State and I have had discussions with interested parties, including Members of Parliament, and continue to listen closely to stakeholders' views to ensure a robust and proportionate Government response.

Housing: Overcrowding

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households were registered as statutorily overcrowded in (a) Camberwell and Peckham, (b) Southwark and (c) London in each of the last 5 years.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 17 July 2018



The Department does not collect information on the number of households registered as statutorily overcrowded. However, we do collect information on overcrowding more generally. The Department's English Housing Survey collects information on overcrowding (measured using the Bedroom Standard). Statistics for England are published annually.See Annex Table 1.20 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676433/2016-17_Section_1_Households_Annex_Tables.xlsxThe Department's Local Authority Housing Statistics collects information on the number of households on a local authority housing waiting list because they are currently residing in insanitary or overcrowded housing, see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2016-to-2017

Planning: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework on the natural environment in Coventry.

Kit Malthouse: The proposed changes to the revised Framework reinforce environmental protections in various ways, including that plans should identify and pursue opportunities for securing measurable net gains for biodiversity. These should benefit the natural environment across the country. It will then be the responsibility of local planning authorities, including Coventry to assess the impact at a local level. The revised Framework will be published shortly.

Local Government

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to permit a parish or community council to be established covering an area that is continuous over two primary local authority areas.

Rishi Sunak: The ability to create, amend or abolish parish and community councils was devolved to local government by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Central Government therefore has no remit for involvement in such an issue.However, as a local matter, the parties concerned should contact the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, which has powers to recommend boundary changes between principal local authorities, and consequential changes to parish arrangements to the Secretary of State. A review of this kind is known as a Principal Area Boundary Review (PABR).The Commission’s current policy is that it would only agree to carry out a PABR if there was support from all authorities involved in the potential boundary change, that the proposal represented value for money for local taxpayers and there is evidence of public support for the proposition.

Homelessness

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include provisions for minimum alcohol pricing in his forthcoming homelessness strategy.

Nigel Adams: The Rough Sleeping Strategy is due to be published shortly, and will include a range of measures to support people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.Further to this, the Government is developing a new cross-government alcohol strategy which will set out targeted action to prevent and reduce harmful drinking, support vulnerable people affected by others’ alcohol misuse and improve the pathway into treatment for people with alcohol dependency. While the new strategy will not include a commitment to introduce minimum unit pricing at this time, the policy remains under review. As part of the work on the new strategy, Public Health England will be commissioned to carry out a scientific review into the impact of minimum unit pricing as evidence becomes available from Scotland, following its recent implementation, and Wales in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to develop a (a) UK-only unmanned combat aerial vehicle programme and (a) sixth generation successor to the Eurofighter.

Stuart Andrew: The UK's Combat Air Strategy, published on 16 July 2018, outlines the Ministry of Defence's plans for the delivery of Combat Air capability. It has initiated the acquisition programme which will develop the proposals for the delivery of the next generation capability to replace Typhoon, including the nature of that capability.

Defence: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made on the potential effect on his Department's budget initiating UK-only pogrammes for new weapon systems.

Stuart Andrew: We strive to provide our Armed Forces with the capabilities they need at the best value for money, obtaining this through open competition in the global market wherever possible. We are ready to take a different approach, to protect our freedom of action or operational advantage, but, only where it is essential for national security. This always requires a careful balance of risk and opportunity cost.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of the combat aircraft concept model he unveiled at Farnborough International Air show in July 2018.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31, paragraph 51 of the Combat Air Strategy, published in July 2018, when his Department plans to launch a Combat Air Skills Index.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31, paragraph 54 of the Combat Air Strategy, when he plans to publish the National Value Framework.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 19, paragraph 27 of the Combat Air Strategy what the criteria will be for assessing the performance of Team Tempest.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 19, paragraph 27 of the Combat Air Strategy, whether the name Tempest will be given to the next UK-developed combat aircraft.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy who were in receipt of Disability Living Allowance did not receive an award as a result of a reassessment for personal independence payments received an award at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: Since the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) a total of 6,330 decisions on claims with an epilepsy condition listed as the main health condition have been made as part of migration from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP. Of these, 3,380 did not receive any benefit award at the initial assessment and 1,120 of these people subsequently appealed their decision. Of those who appealed their decision 870 cases were settled in favour of the claimant. Under PIP, 29 per cent of working age claimants with epilepsy recorded as their primary disabling condition receive the highest level of support compared to 6 per cent under Disability Living Allowance when PIP was introduced.  Notes:Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Data is up to March 2018.This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data taken from the PIP computer system’s management information.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new personal independence payment (PIP) claimants with epilepsy did not receive an award during their initial PIP assessment and subsequently received an award at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: Since the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) a total of 7,690 decisions have been made on new claims with an epilepsy condition listed as the main health condition. Of these, 5,150 claimants did not receive any benefit award at the initial assessment and 630 of these people subsequently appealed their decision. Of those who appealed their decision 420 cases were settled in favour of the claimant. Under PIP, 29 per cent of working age claimants with epilepsy recorded as their primary disabling condition receive the highest level of support compared to 6 per cent under Disability Living Allowance when PIP was introduced. Notes:Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Data is up to March 2018.This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data taken from the PIP computer system’s management information.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants with epilepsy did not receive an award during their initial assessment or mandatory reconsideration and were subsequently granted an award before their case was heard at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: Since the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) there have been a total of 14,020 decisions on all claims (new claims and reassessments) with an epilepsy condition listed as the main health condition. Of these 3,980 claimants received no benefit after an initial decision and no benefit after the mandatory reconsideration stage. 1,710 of these people subsequently appealed their decision and 100 cases were settled in favour of the claimant before the case reached the tribunal hearing. Under PIP, 29 per cent of working age claimants with epilepsy recorded as their primary disabling condition receive the highest level of support compared to 6 per cent under Disability Living Allowance when PIP was introduced. Notes:Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Data is up to March 2018.Data included both new claims and DLA reassessments.This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data taken from the PIP computer system’s management information.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

Funeral Payments

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to review the adequacy of the element of the Funeral Expenses Payment that is used to pay funeral directors, coffins and flowers to cover those costs.

Justin Tomlinson: The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments provides a significant contribution towards funeral costs, covering burials, cremations and £700 towards coffins, flowers and other costs. It continues to meet the necessary costs of a cremation or burial for claimants on certain income based benefits or tax credits. Average payments have increased year-on-year to meet these necessary costs, by some 28% over the past ten years. We have also made interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans available for funeral costs in addition to Funeral Expenses Payments. Whilst we are keeping the level of funeral expenses payments under review, we do need to ensure that we have a system that is both fair for taxpayers, while assisting the most vulnerable with funeral expenses.

Children: Maintenance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total monthly receipts to the public purse were from (a) the fee charged for applications to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), (b) the collection fee for paying parents using the CMS Collect and Pay service, (c) the collection fee for receiving parents using the CMS Collect and Pay service and (d) enforcement fees levied on paying parents in each month since and including April 2016.

Justin Tomlinson: The introduction of fees and on-going collection charges are designed to act as an incentive for parents to pause and consider the different options available to them for a child maintenance arrangement, rather than applying to the statutory Child Maintenance Service ‘by default’. Charges make a small contribution to a service that is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer.Receipts in relation to the Child Maintenance Service 2012 scheme, from April 2016 to March 2017, are provided in the table below:  Applications £000'sPaying Parent Charges £000'sReceiving Parent Charges £000'sEnforcement Charges £000'sApr-16158.7682.1131.416.6May-16134.0667.0130.019.9Jun-16151.9790.7152.721.4Jul-16139.3793.3154.124.1Aug-16132.2753.9145.718.3Sep-16161.7886.6171.622.0Oct-16163.4884.2170.720.1Nov-16161.1870.8168.517.3Dec-16105.01,001.6192.925.2Jan-17175.01,003.7193.024.4Feb-17151.9995.0191.526.9Mar-17165.41,165.1223.731.1Total1,799.410,493.82,025.7267.3

Carers: Disability

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a carer who provides full-time care for a disabled person and is awaiting a decision on their claim for a qualifying disability benefit will be automatically placed in the no-conditionality group of universal credit.

Sarah Newton: The important role that carers play in our society is recognised and in Universal Credit a claimant who has caring responsibilities for one or more severely disabled persons for at least 35 hours a week should be placed in the no work related requirements group of Universal Credit. This includes those caring for a severely disabled person who is still awaiting an assessment for a severe disability benefit.

Universal Credit

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with a child in residential care are likely to lose universal credit payments for their child as a result of (a) section 22 of the Children Act 1989 and (b) section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with a child in residential school or residential college are likely to lose universal credit payments for their child as a result of (a) section 22 of the Children Act 1989 and section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Justin Tomlinson: In certain circumstances, Universal Credit allows for temporary absence of children, up to 6 months of continuous absence, before an award is affected. This includes absences where the child is in residential care or schooling. It would not be possible to provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Food Banks: North West

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential for an increase in food bank use during the school summer holidays in the North West.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has not carried out any research into trends in the number of people using food banks or into the many and varied factors which may be influencing their growth. However, we are currently reviewing research carried out by a variety of organisations, to add to our understanding of food bank use, and will consider requirements to add to our evidence base.

Jobcentres: Telephone Services

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time was for telephone callers kept on hold before speaking to a Job Centre Plus adviser in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: Telephone calls made to a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach are made to the direct number they provide rather than via a switchboard. Although there is a facility to put the caller on hold, Jobcentre telephone systems do not record the length of time a caller is put on hold.Universal Credit Full Service claimants can also contact their Work Coach and Case Manager via their online journal.

Housing Benefit: Durham County Council

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much she allocated to Durham County Council for Discretionary Housing Payments in each of the last five years; and what information she holds on how much of that allocation is unspent.

Justin Tomlinson: Allocation and expenditure of Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) by Local Authorities (LAs) is publically available via the following official statistics series:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics The financial returns section of the data tables, in the financial year releases, shows DHP financial expenditure and Government contribution by LA.

Members: Correspondence

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average her Department took to respond to correspondence from an hon. Member in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: Information about the performance of Departments and Agencies on handling correspondence from Members is published annually by way of a written statement by the Cabinet Office.The statement, covering 2017, was made on 26 June 2018, Official Record Vol. 643 HCWS22. The statement, covering 2016, was made on 11 July 2017, Official Record Vol. 627 HCWS35. The statement, covering 2015, was made on 21 July 2016, Official Record Vol. 613 HCWS118.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what projection her Department has made of the amount it will pay in universal credit in the 2018-19 financial year.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by how much her Department's projected spend on universal credit in the 2018-19 financial year has changed as a result of the reduction of the minimum waiting time for payment of claims from six weeks to five.

Alok Sharma: At the Spring Statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that DWP will spend £8bn on Universal Credit in 2018/19, this is in line with our expectations. This includes an increase of £130m, to account for the cost of abolishing waiting days.

Industrial Health and Safety: Mental Illness

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including the reporting of work-related mental health problems as part of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR 2013), which carefully define the range of health conditions that must be reported. These health conditions are linked with occupational exposure to specified hazards. Work-related mental ill health, i.e. stress, is subjective; what one person finds stressful may have no detrimental effect on another. In addition, it is not usually possible to fully attribute the causes of stress solely to work-related issues on an individual basis. Factors outside of the workplace, such as financial problems and relationships, can contribute to the overall situation. This would make identifying an objective level of reportable stress very difficult to do.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many DS1500 applications there have been in each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK in each year for which data is available.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of DS1500 forms that have been submitted without an accompanying claim form in (a) England and (b) Scotland in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The DS1500 is not a claim form and its use in providing evidential support for claims from people who are terminally ill claiming benefit is not obligatory.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of face-to-face appointments have been conducted to verify a claimant's identity; and what the average waiting time was from the point of claiming Universal Credit to receiving a face-to-face assessment in order to verify a claimants identity since the introduction of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: This information requested is not available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Forests: Conservation

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect ancient woodland in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has a manifesto commitment to ensure stronger protection for our ancient woodlands and the irreplaceable nature of ancient woodlands is recognised in our 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government are working together to identify further ways to protect ancient woodlands through the National Planning Policy Framework.

Plastics: Waste

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of plastic waste from Coventry that is sent abroad for recycling in each year for which information is available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data on exports of waste materials generally is published by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and is available at:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Pages/Home.aspx.This data is collected at a UK level and data relating specifically to Coventry is not available.Data on the collection and disposal and recycling of waste for Coventry will be held by Coventry City Council, and is reported separately through the WasteDataFlow system (http://www.wastedataflow.org/home.aspx).

Veterinary Services: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase access to veterinary care for animal owners in Coventry on low incomes.

George Eustice: Pet owners on low incomes can access veterinary services through organisations and charities such as the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals, the Cats Protection League, the RSPCA and others.   There are no plans for Government to increase access to veterinary care for animal owners on low incomes in any areas, including Coventry.

Agriculture: Forestry

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will bring forward in the forthcoming agriculture Bill provisions to (a) support farmers who practise agroforestry and (b) enable farmers to take up agroforestry.

George Eustice: The Agriculture Bill will enable us to continue to support a farming sector that is competitive, productive and profitable; to protect our precious natural environment for future generations; and to deliver on the manifesto commitment to set foundations for future policy as we leave the EU.The Government has pledged to work with farmers, other land managers and environmentalists across Britain to devise a new Environmental Land Management scheme, to be introduced in the next Parliament, which will provide long term environmental benefits. We want farmers and foresters to integrate the attainment of environmental goods with the production of food and timber.

Home Office

Visas: Applications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ongoing visa applications received in the last month have not been processed within the time set by his Department in its service standards.

Caroline Nokes: The information for the latest quarter available is published online.Data on entry clearance visa processing times, including the percentage and number of visas that are processed within service standards, is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).

Immigrants: Detainees

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims of compensation for wrongful immigration detention were (a) received by his Department and (b) successful in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was of the compensation paid by his Department in that period.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office wrote to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 25 June 2018 detailing information relating to wrongful detention compensation claims. A copy of the response can be found here: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/Correspondence-17-19/180625_Permanent_Secretary_Immigration%20Enforcement.pdf

Immigrants: Detainees

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationalities were of people held in immigration detention centres in the UK in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publish data on the nationalities of people in detention as at the last day of each quarter. Data for those in detention on 31 March 2018 is available in table dt_13_q of the detention tables.The latest available data are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709326/detention-mar-2018-tables.ods

Drugs: Misuse

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of drug addiction on the economy of (a) Sheffield and (b) UK.

Victoria Atkins: The total social and economic costs of drugs in the UK are estimated to be £10.7 billion per year. The costs which accrue specifically to the economy cannot be disaggregated from this total.A breakdown of these costs by local area, such as Sheffield, is not available.

Vetting

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the target time is for the Disclosure and Barring Service to make decisions on DBS checks; and what he average time taken is to process a DBS application.

Victoria Atkins: The DBS aims to produce 87% of Standard and Enhanced Disclosure certificates within 21 days and 96% within 42 days. For the Basic level check the aim is to produce 90% within 14 days. The current average turnaround time for Standard and Enhanced certificates is just less than 10 days and forBasic checks it is just less than four days.

Visas: Afghanistan

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many successful spousal visa applications there have been for the (a) spouses and (b) children of Afghan interpreters who relocated to the UK under the Government's Redundancy Scheme.

Caroline Nokes: Afghan interpreters who qualify to come to the UK under the relocation schemes are able to bring qualifying dependant family members with them. To date, around 400 former Afghan interpreters have relocated to the UK with their families making around 1,100 people in total.The Home Office has committed to looking at what can be done to improve the process for Afghan interpreters to bring to the UK those otherwise eligible dependents who did not travel and who remain in Afghanistan.We do not publish a breakdown of data relating to visa applications received from family members of those resettled under the ex-gratia scheme.

Scotland Office

Marine Protected Areas: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has received representations on the establishment of a Marine Protected Area in the Weddell Sea; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The UK is a co-proponent for Marine Protected Area (MPA) proposals in the Weddell Sea and in East Antarctica, both of which will be presented to the next Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in October for adoption. As an active member of the CCAMLR, the UK is leading calls for the development and establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas across the Southern Ocean.

Food Poverty: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to tackle food poverty in Scotland; whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on trends in the use of food banks; and if he will make statement.

David Mundell: Work is the most effective route out of poverty and this Government is committed to helping people find work through a wide-range of support, targeted to each individual’s personal circumstances. While food banks represent an impressive response by civil society and faith groups to support vulnerable people, we also provide a strong safety net through the welfare system and will spend over £90bn in welfare support to people below State Pensions age in 2018/19.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of civil service staff on the civil service pay guidance 2018-19, published on  25 June 2018.

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with Civil Service unions on the pay remit guidance published on 25 June 2018.

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with which organisations he plans to hold consultations on civil service pay following the pay remit guidance published on 25 June 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and I met with the General Secretaries of the FDA, Prospect and PCS trade unions on 27 June to discuss the Civil Service pay guidance, which was published on 25 June. In my capacity as the Minister with responsibility for Civil Service HR, including trade unions, I previously met with the General Secretaries of the FDA and Prospect on the 22 February 2018, and with the PCS General Secretary, on the 27th February 2018. Cabinet office officials regularly meet with trade union representatives to discuss a range of workforce issues, including pay.

Government Departments: Location

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's Estate Strategy of July 2018, whether a decision has been made on the location of the 1,000 public sector jobs to be located outside London in the next twelve years.

Oliver Dowden: As the Government Estates Strategy 2018 sets out, the Government is committed to relocating public bodies and Civil Service roles out of London across the United Kingdom. To achieve this it has established the Places for Growth programme within the Cabinet Office to identify opportunities for locating roles in cities across the United Kingdom, including the devolved administrations. Location decisions will be made by departments in conjunction with the Cabinet Office.

Government Departments: Location

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's Estate Strategy of July 2018, where the 20 Government Hubs are planned to be established by the end of the 2017 Parliament.

Oliver Dowden: Currently 14 Government Hubs have been announced. These will be located across the UK at the following locations: Canary Wharf, Croydon, Glasgow, Stratford, Newcastle, Bristol, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester. Work is ongoing to establish requirements and feasibility for additional hubs with the results to be announced in due course.

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's Estate Strategy of July 2018, how many of the 600 Government-operated office buildings which the Government is seeking to sell are in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Oliver Dowden: Due to commercial sensitivities around future retention or disposal of property, information of this kind is not made publically available.

Government Departments: Location

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to consult with Civil Service unions on the proposed reduction and relocation of Government-operated office space set out in the Government's Estate Strategy of July 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The government set out ambitious plans in the Government Estates Strategy, which we published last week. We will engage and consult with public service unions on implementation of these commitments in the usual way.

Civil Servants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the size of the Civil Service's alumni networks.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of members of Civil Service alumni networks who work for political lobbying or consultancy firms.

Oliver Dowden: Information is not centrally held by the Cabinet Office on Alumni Networks across Government that are managed by Departments.

Mass Media: Internet

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2018 to Question 157646, whether the Rapid Response Unit stores the details of those social media accounts which have shared misinformation and disinformation.

Chloe Smith: In line with the Data Protection Act 2018, no details of any social media accounts are stored by the Rapid Response Unit for any purpose.

Government Departments: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Cabinet Office, whether there are standardised cross-department pay scales for the post of policy officer in each Government Department.

Oliver Dowden: There is not currently a standardised cross-government pay scale for Policy Officers as pay for this role, like all others in delegated grades (AA-G6), is delegated to departments.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Fraud: EU Countries

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the maintenance of access to courts in EU countries for UK victims of consumer fraud resident in those countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: There have been no conversations between the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and his European counterparts on this specific subject, because there is no reason why access to a Member State’s courts for individuals resident in that country would change after our exit from the EU. However, as stated in the Government’s White Paper on the Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union published on 12 July, the UK is keen to explore a new bilateral agreement with the EU on civil judicial cooperation. This would cover a coherent package of rules on jurisdiction, applicable law, and recognition and enforcement of judgments. This would mean that, when buying cross-border, consumers could continue to be confident that if they have a dispute they can bring a claim in their own country’s courts, regardless of where the supplier is based, and that the resulting judgment would be enforceable.

Legal Profession: EU Countries

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on future market access for UK members of the legal profession to (a) provide services and (b) attend courts in EU countries after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: We have been having regular discussions with the EU on the Future Framework, outlining our positions on a wide range of topics covering the future economic partnership and the future security partnership. Over the coming weeks and months, we expect to see our negotiations on the Future Framework accelerate and intensify. The Government has published a White Paper setting out a clear proposal for the future relationship we want to build with the European Union, including our position on future market access for services. In addition to the general provisions that will minimise barriers to cross-border service provision and establishment, we are proposing supplementary measures for legal services. This will include permitting joint practice between UK and EU lawyers. UK lawyers will also be supported by our proposals for comprehensive arrangements on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. This proposal is a responsible and credible basis for moving our negotiations with the EU forward to achieve a deal that works in our mutual interest. We have also made significant progress in discussions with the EU on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. We have agreed the continued recognition of qualifications for residents and frontier workers, where recognition decisions were received or where recognition procedures were ongoing, before the end of the implementation period. This includes qualifications recognised under the MRPQ directive and lawyers practising under host title. We have also agreed under the Withdrawal Agreement how the UK would withdraw from the EU rules on civil judicial cooperation at the end of the Implementation Period. We fully expect however that we will reach agreement with the EU on a future relationship, and in the White Paper we have set out how we want to explore a new, mutually beneficial bilateral agreement with the EU on civil judicial cooperation. This would support a range of cross-border activity, including trade in goods and services, plus some non-commercial activities. We will not provide a running commentary on our negotiations with the EU, but will continue to update Parliament on our progress when appropriate.

Businesses

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what dispute resolution mechanism and other means of redress will be available to businesses once the UK has left the European Union.

Mr Robin Walker: The future partnership will be for the benefit of individuals and businesses, as well as for the UK and the EU as parties to the agreement. Individuals and businesses will be able to enforce their rights and obligations as set out in the agreements in the respective domestic legal orders of the UK and EU.For the partnership agreement to be of real value to our citizens and businesses, we will create certainty that their rights and obligations pursuant to the agreement will be applied consistently in both the UK and the EU, where this is intended in the agreement.

UK Relations With EU

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 89 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, whether the EU ban on mobile phone roaming charges will continue to apply to UK citizens.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government recognises that there are specific consumer measures that are associated with the Digital Single Market. The White Paper proposes new arrangements for services and digital sectors, recognising that the UK and the EU will not have current levels of access to each other’s markets. That approach would not preclude discussions with the EU on arrangements for consumers, for example in the area of mobile roaming, if that would be in the mutual interests of both sides.

UK Relations With EU

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 108 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, whether the retention of a common rulebook on state aid will prevent the UK public sector adopting procurement rules that give preferential treatment to UK-manufactured vehicles.

Mr Robin Walker: State aid and public procurement are separate issues. The state aid rules only touch on state support which has not been given on commercial terms. On the other hand, public procurement should be an entirely commercial process. The UK will remain committed to the principles of non-discrimination, equal treatment and transparency, as provided for in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the Global Declaration Against Corruption. The Government has a longstanding policy of value for money, through fair and open competition, in public procurement. In line with our current international (not just EU) obligations, our contracting authorities are required to treat suppliers from various other countries on an equal footing with UK suppliers. This is a two-way street as it gives our suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas. This allows us to maximise value for money for the UK taxpayer, whilst ensuring that UK companies are able to compete abroad.

UK Relations With EU

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, at what time on 12 July 2018 a copy of the White Paper entitled The Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union was available on the gov.uk website.

Mr Robin Walker: The White Paper on the Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union was published on the gov.uk website at the moment the Secretary of State stood up to make his statement.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 108(c) of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm 9593, which environmental laws and rules will be included in that commitment.

Mr Robin Walker: This Government has been clear that the UK will maintain high environmental standards once it has left the EU. The UK is party to numerous Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and the UK is committed to upholding its international obligations under these agreements after it leaves the EU. In recognition of these ambitious, domestic choices, the Government proposes that as the UK leaves the EU, both parties should commit to the non-regression of environmental standards. The exact details of this will be subject to negotiation.

Climate Change

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 108(d) of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm 9593, which laws and rules on climate change will be included in the non-regression commitment.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK is a global leader in the fight against climate change. Our ambitious agenda is set out in domestic law, and our commitments are more stretching than those that arise from our current obligations under EU law. The UK will maintain these high standards after withdrawal. We recognise the UK’s and the EU’s shared interest in global action on climate change, and the mutual benefits of a broad agreement on climate change cooperation. The exact details of this will be subject to negotiation.

Consumers: Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union,with reference to paragraph 108(f) of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm 9593, which laws and rules on consumer protection will be included in that commitment.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK has an impressive record of protecting consumers and has been clear in the White Paper that it wishes to commit to maintaining high standards of consumer protection after we leave the EU. We believe the EU should make a reciprocal commitment, the exact details of which will be subject to negotiation.

Exports: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Government's proposed trade deal with the EU on the number of exports from Yorkshire after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. This analysis helps define our future partnership with the EU, and informs our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position and so the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work. The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with local governments across the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Ministers from across Government have also carried out extensive engagement on EU exit with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, including those headquartered in Yorkshire. The FCA combined with a common rulebook on agricultural and industrial goods should ensure that businesses from all over the UK including Yorkshire can continue to export to the EU with no new barriers or frictions.

Brexit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking as part of his negotiations with the EU to ensure that the effects of leaving the EU are felt equally by those living in the north and the south.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been clear that we negotiate for every nation and region of the United Kingdom - our goal is to secure a deal that works for all parts of the country. To support this, Ministers from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit - with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, and with civil society groups including consumer bodies, trade unions, charities and academia. The Government is also committed to positive and productive engagement with all local government within the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the implications of and opportunities arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Brexit

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to sub-paragraph 7(a) on page 14 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm. 9353, published on 12 July 2018, which items of EU legislation adopted over the last 30 years have made changes to the rules included in the definition of the common rulebook for goods, including agri-food, covering only those rules necessary to provide for frictionless trade at the border.

Mr Robin Walker: The Common Rulebook will include rules necessary to provide for frictionless trade at the border. The rules have been developed over the last 30 years or more to reflect the connected nature of the UK and EU economies and respond to emerging risks. The UK has long advocated a convergence of rules and standards for goods, which are relatively stable, and therefore consider the adoption of a common rulebook is in both the UK’s and EU’s interests. In our negotiations with the EU we will ensure that the scope of the common rule book is limited to those areas without which there would be friction at the border.

Treasury

Banks: Closures

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what figures his Department collects on high street bank closures.

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of job losses as a result of high street bank closures in the last five years.

John Glen: The decision to close a branch is a commercial issue for the management team of the bank, and the Treasury does not collect data relating to bank branch closures or related job losses. However, Government believes it is important the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. The Government supports the industry’s Access to Banking Standard which commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing. It also helps customers to understand the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. Government also considers it important that all customers, wherever they live and especially those who are vulnerable, can still access over the counter services. That is why we support the Post Office’s Banking Framework Agreement, which enables 99% of banks’ personal and 95% of banks’ business customers to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. The Government is committed to ensuring that communities across the UK are fully aware of the important services that remain available to them at their local Post Office, even if their bank branch is closed. In March, in response to my request, the Post Office and UK Finance have committed to work together to raise public awareness of the banking services available at the Post Office for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Pension Funds

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound on private pension funds since the EU referendum.

John Glen: The Government has not made an assessment of the effect on private pension funds of the change in the value of the pound following the EU referendum.

Import Duties: Western Sahara

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2018 to Question 158255, on Western Sahara: Imports, whether products entering the UK under the ISO code EH pay import duty.

Mel Stride: Goods entering the UK under the ISO code ‘EH’ are chargeable to customs duty.

Import Duties: Western Sahara

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2018 to Question 158255, on Import Duties: Western Sahara, for what reasons the Western Sahara Campaign UK is included in the list of consultees when it states that it was not consulted.

Mel Stride: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 6 July to PQ UIN 158256. It is for the European Commission to respond to any questions about its report.

UK Relations With EU

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 16(a) of the White Paper The future relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union, Cm9593, which individual or body will be responsible for determining who is a trusted trader.

Mel Stride: Under a Facilitated Customs Arrangement, the UK’s goal is to facilitate the greatest possible trade, whether with the EU or the rest of the world. The trusted trader scheme will allow firms to pay the correct tariff at the UK border. The precise details of the Facilitated Customs Arrangement are subject to negotiations with the EU.

UK Relations With EU

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 16(a) of the White Paper The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, what the Government's definition of a trusted trader is.

Mel Stride: Under a Facilitated Customs Arrangement, the UK’s goal is to facilitate the greatest possible trade, whether with the EU or the rest of the world. The trusted trader scheme will allow firms to pay the correct tariff at the UK border. The precise details of the Facilitated Customs Arrangement are subject to negotiations with the EU.

Tax Avoidance

Ged Killen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential increased cost of hiring contractors as a result of the extension of IR35 off-payroll tax into the private sector.

Ged Killen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the validity of the concerns of the CEO of Contract Calculator on the extension of the IR35 off-payroll tax rules to the private sector.

Ged Killen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the proposed extension of IR35 off-payroll tax rules to the private sector with the recommendations of the 2017 Good Work: Taylor review of modern working practices.

Mel Stride: The Government is currently consulting on non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules (known as IR35). As part of the consultation, officials are meeting a wide range of business leaders, representative bodies and other stakeholders. Once the consultation finishes on 10 August 2018, the Government will consider responses received, including comments raised at meetings with stakeholders, and will issue its response in due course. The Government is fully aware of the links between the off-payroll working rules and the Taylor review of modern working practices. It has recently consulted on whether and how employment status rules might be reformed in the longer-term. Any potential impact on businesses will depend on the outcome of the ongoing consultation.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottingham South, and (c) Nottinghamshire pay the apprenticeship levy.

Mel Stride: It is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the amount of levy payments made by employers in specific geographical areas. HMRC have information on where PAYE schemes are registered, though not on the workplaces of the employer. Many large employers will have various workplaces across the UK or outsource their payroll to a payroll provider based in a different location.

Electronic Publishing: VAT

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to reduce VAT on digital editions of magazines, books and newspapers.

Mel Stride: Under EU law, a standard rate of VAT must be applied to e-publications. Although Member States are discussing a legislative proposal to allow the same VAT rate to apply to e-publications as apply to physical publications, this is yet to be agreed.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135849 on National Citizen Service Trust, whether around £9,781,587 has been written off by the Government for places that were not filled in 2016 for the National Citizen Service.

Tracey Crouch: Pursuant to my previous answer, the £9,781,587 figure referred to was correctly spent by NCS providers in advance of delivery of the programme. This amount contributed to the upfront costs that are shared with providers to set up the programme for a specified number of places. Unfortunately, some of these places were not filled, and the advance payments for unfilled places cannot be recovered. Reducing the number of unfilled places is a priority for DCMS in order to deliver better value for money. We have reflected this in the NCS Trust’s performance framework and NCS Trust are improving their commissioning model to allow participation volumes to flex throughout the year in response to demand and reduce the number of unfilled places.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135849, whether a delivery partner of the National Citizen Service programme is permitted to profit from their service delivery contracts.

Tracey Crouch: DCMS does permit NCS delivery partners to profit from their service delivery contracts. However, driving down costs is a priority for the Department and we are working with NCS Trust to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. While, direct comparisons are not straightforward due to the unique nature of NCS, a recent independent benchmarking exercise, commissioned by the Department, indicates that the programme compares favourably to the costs of other similar programmes in the sector, and internationally.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the National Citizen Service Trust has plans to collaborate with the Parliament Education Service in the summer of 2018 to increase citizenship and democratic engagement.

Tracey Crouch: The National Citizen Service Trust is collaborating with the Parliament Education Service to deliver workshops to young people during Summer 2018 which focus on how Parliament works and how young people can take action on the issues that matter to them. The NCS curriculum currently includes informing young people about the importance of the democratic process and when the NCS Trust Royal Charter body launches it will be mandated to promote democratic engagement.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions have taken place in negotiations on the UK leaving the EU on UK citizens and businesses paying mobile roaming charges in the EU after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: On 12 July the government published a White Paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU. It provides a framework for wider negotiations. The White Paper states that: “To ensure that open trade between the UK and EU economies is not at the expense of consumers, and in the context of the future economic partnership, the UK proposes to commit to maintain reciprocal high levels of consumer protection”.

Business: Data Protection

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Government has had with the European Commission on ensuring that businesses can hold and transfer data and personal information to EU member states without interruption after the UK has left the EU.

Margot James: The government is committed to agreeing a UK-EU model for protecting and exchanging personal data that maintains the free unhindered flow of personal data between the UK and the EU post-exit; offers stability and confidence for EU and UK individuals and businesses, as well as public authorities; reassures EU and UK citizens that their data is subject to robust protection; and does not impose unnecessary additional costs to EU and UK businesses. The government holds regular discussions with the EU on the future economic and security partnerships, covering a wide range of topics. In May 2018, UK government officials presented slides to the European Commission outlining a framework for a UK-EU future partnership on data protection. The slides are available on gov.uk. A further paper was presented by the UK government to the Commission in June 2018, which set out the benefits to the EU of a new data protection agreement. The paper is available on gov.uk.

Gambling

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department made of the effectiveness of responsible gambling messages in tackling problem gambling.

Tracey Crouch: We considered advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility. The Review looked at protections around gambling advertising and set out a package of initiatives to strengthen protections further. The gambling industry changed its code to require responsible gambling messaging appears on screen throughout the length of TV adverts, and it is working with GambleAware and the Gambling Commission to identify good practice on identifying vulnerable players, pilot responsible gambling messaging and interventions and understand the information players need to help them manage their own gambling. The package of measures also included a major responsible gambling advertising campaign, to run for two years with a budget of £5-7m each year, and will aim to raise awareness of risks and signpost to help where appropriate. The campaign will be led by GambleAware, with extensive input from experts on public health and gambling-related harm to ensure its effectiveness. Different messages will be tested with focus groups to build understanding around what type of core messaging can be used to achieve the desired behaviour and attitude change.

Gambling

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory contributions for the (i) research, (ii) education and (iii) treatment of gambling disorders.

Tracey Crouch: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 July 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Gambling Commission requires all operators licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 to make a contribution towards the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. It does not specify how much this should be, nor which organisations should be supported. GambleAware is the leading charity commissioning research, education and treatment, and currently asks operators to donate a minimum of 0.1% of their Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Most do, with GambleAware receiving £9.4m in 2017/18. Industry also made donations to other bodies supporting research, education and treatment, bringing industry’s collective support for RET to above 0.1% of its GGY.We considered research, education and treatment as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and published our response on 17 May. The Review looked at protections across the gambling industry and support for those who experience harm, including the arrangements for funding support.We want to see an effective and sustainable voluntary system, with improved coordination and better understanding of what measures are most effective to ensure future funding increases will be spent in the most effective way. Our response outlined a number of initiatives for improving the current system, increasing access to services and strengthening the evidence base. The Government does not consider that introducing a statutory levy is necessary or appropriate at this stage.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission requires all operators licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 to make a contribution towards the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. It does not specify how much this should be, nor which organisations should be supported. GambleAware is the leading charity commissioning research, education and treatment, and currently asks operators to donate a minimum of 0.1% of their Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Most do, with GambleAware receiving £9.4m in 2017/18. Industry also made donations to other bodies supporting research, education and treatment, bringing industry’s collective support for RET to above 0.1% of its GGY.We considered research, education and treatment as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and published our response on 17 May. The Review looked at protections across the gambling industry and support for those who experience harm, including the arrangements for funding support.We want to see an effective and sustainable voluntary system, with improved coordination and better understanding of what measures are most effective to ensure future funding increases will be spent in the most effective way. Our response outlined a number of initiatives for improving the current system, increasing access to services and strengthening the evidence base. The Government does not consider that introducing a statutory levy is necessary or appropriate at this stage.

Radio Frequencies

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of delays to the funding scheme for owners and operators of Programme Making and Special Events equipment as a result of the 700 MHz clearance; and when he plans to publish that scheme.

Margot James: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport agreed that the 700 MHz Programme will compensate PMSE users and its design has taken account of responses through the consultations with stakeholders. It will put funding towards replacement of up to 20,000 pieces of PMSE equipment. The release of the PMSE Compensation Scheme will be made by Ofcom before the end of summer 2018.